Microsoft's annual Partners in Learning Global Forum took place this past week in Prague, where Microsoft gave a $250 million, five-year renewal toward Microsoft Partners in Learning for education.

The idea behind the Partners in Learning program is to prepare today's youth for the competitive workforce of the future through education, resources and support. So far, the program has trained over 11 million teachers and reached over 200 million students since 2003.

This contribution brings Microsoft's total offerings to $750 million USD over a 15 year period to the program. With this most recent contribution, it hopes to broaden the Partners in Learning program to 20 million of the 75 million teachers worldwide by 2018 and expand the program beyond the 119 countries that are currently apart of it.

“So many of us have a great teacher to thank for our achievements,” said Bill Gates, chairman and co-founder of Microsoft. “That’s why I am so proud that Microsoft Partners in Learning continues to support innovative teachers. We started this program nearly 10 years ago based on the belief that education is a fundamental human right and the single most important investment in our collective future. This has never been more true, and I’m really pleased to see the continuing commitment to innovations that can help all students and teachers reach their full potential.”